“Duncansby Stacks” — Sea Stacks at John O’Groats on Scotland’s North Sea Coast.
Our big loop through northwest Scotland began at Inverness, went to Skye, then headed north with stops at Ullapool and Altnaharra. From there we crossed the northern coast to John O’Groats. Why John O’Groats? it feels like one of the more remote places in Scotland – it is on the North Sea and beyond there are only the Orkney Islands. I also recall running into a cyclist on our previous visit to Scotland who was riding from the furthest south point in England to John O’Groats, and that piqued my interest.
“Photographer, Canyon Country” — Photographer at work deep in a Southwest Utah canyon.
Deserts offer few clues about the scale of the landscape. Unlike forest scenes, where trees often provide a frame of reference, plants play a lesser role. Even when there are plants it can be unclear from a distance whether they are large trees or small shrubs. Here the inclusion of the human figure clarifies the scale of the grand Utah red rock landscape.
“Trees and Sandstone Cliffs” — Trees near the base of sandstone cliffs, Zion Canyon.
There is a lot going on here related to textures and colors. Color first: the cliff and tree colors are almost complementary. The green trees at the base of the cliff are in full shade. The further cliff face is getting both direct and reflected light. The cliffs seem massive and solid, but the surfaces are surprisingly varied. We see lighter and redder sections contrasting with almost-blue darker areas.
I was a little surprised to see trees growing so close to the base of he cliff. Often these areas are littered with accumulated rockfall debris, but here the trees don’t show any signs of that. It isn’t easy to tell from the photograph, but some of the trees are actually growing from cracks in the rock wall.
“Virgin River, Zion Canyon” — The Virgin river flows past trees and sandstone formations, Zion National Park.
Judging from the muddy water, a substantial amount of Utah landscape appears to be disolved in the Virgin River and flowing out of the park! A walk through the bottomlands of Zion Canyon reveals a riparian landscape subject to periodic flooding. Seeing this, you can begin to understand the role that water has played in forming this remarkable landscape.
On this morning we left our vehicle behind, shouldered photographic gear, and crossed to the far side of the canyon and the river, then followed a trail upstream. It was quiet and there was a lot to see, including a lovely little waterfall at one point.
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Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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